RED-faced builder Joe Targett found himself literally head over heels about DIY - and had to be freed by firefighters.

Joe, 40, trapped his head between two floorboards while inspecting water pipes under the lounge at his home in Bitterne Manor, Southampton.

The foreman's wife Marie tried to ease him out of his predicament by using washing-up liquid and soap, but Joe remained jammed.

And after recovering from a fit of hysterical laughter, she gave up and called for help from firefighters, who cut him free.

Father-of-two Joe, of Steuart Road, said he saw the funny side of what happened, and that his new nickname would probably be Ostrich.

He said: "I have a bit of bruising to my ears but other than that I am not hurt.

"I found out a few days ago that we had lead piping and I had a look under the floorboards.

"By reaching out, I could touch them but I couldn't see the pipes so I pushed my head further through the gap and found I could not get it back out beyond my ears.

"Because I am in the building trade I am very safety conscious, but unfortunately I got into difficulty this time at home.. I certainly won't be sticking my head through floorboards again."

Marie, 31, said she could not stop laughing. "Seeing him on his hands and knees with his head stuck was so funny and he was begging me not to let anyone in, even the fire brigade," she said.